Saving Forever
by Healer Sayain
Summary: The Cassidys have found Storybrooke. Now it's time for them to bring the happily ever afters back. (Sequel to Finding Forever and Losing Forever) (Swanfire, Rumbelle, Snowing, Red Hunt, and hopefully in the future some CaptainTink and OutlawQueen)
1. Who Says You Can't Go Home?

**AN: this is the sequel to Finding Forever and Losing Forever. To fully understand what is going on, it is necessary to read both stories. Of course, you can read this on its own, but some points may get confusing. **

**AN: I really wish I knew why Anna became a pirate, but somehow, she snuck it on me. She is adorable though. **

**AN: I'm going to try to update either every Sunday or Monday. I have most of the story planned out and am working on getting it down on paper. This is a complete AU. I do want to say that I am a review junkie, so please, just drop a line, even if it is just a "this story sucks". But I love constructive criticism.**

**AN: The only good thing about Quiet Minds was the Outlaw Queen. The rest was stupid. Just wanted to throw that out there. **

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a young princess. She was born to a princess turned bandit turned Queen and a shepard boy who had replaced his twin brother as a false King. But her parents had an enemy, her step-grandmother, the Evil Queen.

So the Evil Queen, in accordance to a wicked's Imp's plan, cast a curse to end all curses. She sent all the inhabitants of their home into a different world, a world without magic. A world without happy endings.

But before the curse could be cast, the princess was sent away through a magical wardrobe, to the world without happy endings to survive on her own. She was just born, with barely any time for her first feeding when she was sent to be a hero.

She grew up fast and mean, in what this world called the 'foster system'. It was cruel and hard, but in her fourteenth year, she met a boy. A boy who had a story of his own.

This boy was born to a poor spinner and his very unhappy wife. His father was a coward and he mother abandoned them for pirates and adventure. But when the boy's life was in danger, on his fourteenth birthday, his father made a choice and became the very same Imp who had created the curse that had destroyed the princess's family.

Of course, at this time, they did not know that.

But the boy had grown up in his own way in the wilds of Neverland. He did things and saw things that not even the princess was to know about, but it gave him nightmares every night.

On the princess's fifteenth birthday, they ran off together.

Soon, they learned of the curse and of what happened to their parents. On their son's third birthday, they received a book that told them the full story. The book called Once Upon a Time.

That book gave them the beginning.

Together, they would bring back the Happily Ever After's.

* * *

Niall smiled at his wife as she stepped into the kitchen, "Hello gorgeous."

"Hello, handsome," She replied, dropping the file in her hand on the table. She stretched, cracking her back and allowing her husband a wonderful view of her midriff. "What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti," He said, holding up a spoon with red sauce on it. "I was going to make meatloaf, but apparently that's about the same as poison, according to your children."

Emma grinned, coming to lean her hip on the counter. "Oh? My children, hmm?"

"I spend all day with them, so yes, your children." He turned to press a kiss on her lips. "How was your day?"

"Typical." She replied, sighing. "Three cheating husbands and a cheating wife. Fun."

"Sounds like."

"Yeah, what about you?" She raised an eyebrow, looking around their small apartment. It wasn't as much of a mess as it normally was, which meant he had gotten the kids to clean.

"I finished that stupid clock," he said, grabbing the pot of noodles to drain. "So I get to take that down to the customer tomorrow. I forced the children into slavery and made them actually pick up their toys. The Dread Pirate Morgan almost incited mutiny, but I cut that off by reminding Sir Henry of a knight's duty to obey their liege lord." He shook his head. "They are supposed to be cleaning their rooms now, but I have a feeling Henry is reading and Anna is trying to find a place to hide her treasure."

"Now, that sounds like fun." Emma laughed. "A mutiny, really?"

"I wish she was something other than a pirate. Anything really."

"Nope, your kid is a pirate. Suck it up," She had no sympathy.

"And there was something else," The change in tone caught her attention. He was looking at her, eyes serious. She gulped, suddenly worried.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"I got a call today. A job offer, a good one." He put the spoon in the sauce, and started taking off his 'Stay-at-home Dad' superhero apron. "It would be steady work, a good paycheck, and they're offered us an actual house. One with three bedrooms. I asked. Problem is, it's in this little town in Maine."

"Oh," She blinked. "That sounds good though."

"Emma, your birthday is in two days," Niall said, as if that was the worst part.

Emma closed her eyes. "You think it's-?"

"Most likely. The town is called Storybrooke, and if that's not a warning sign, I don't know what it."

She placed her shaky hands on the counter and glanced down the hall. "If we go, we could be risking the kids. I don't think this Evil Queen would be merciful on children."

"If anyone tried to go after our kids, they die." His voice was soft but confident. Emma believed him. He hadn't had to hurt anyone in a long time, but she could remember the way his would flick a knife out of a hiding place the moment someone looked at them wrong. Niall had mercy, but very little where his wife's wellbeing was involved. He had even less when it concerned his children.

"Okay," She whispered, turning to wrap her arms around him. "Do you think we should go?"

"It's your parents." He said quietly, laying his cheek on top of her head. "It's you doing the cursebreaking. I can help, but it's up to you."

She inhaled in a breath, breathing him in. She loved him. He had been her escape from foster care, her rock in the hard times, her everything. He had to be her true love, because that was the only description she could use for him.

"Alright." She leaned back to look up at him. "But you get to tell the kids."

"No problem," Niall grinned wickedly. "I get to have the nine to five now. You get to be home with the kids."

"Ugh," Emma bounced her forehead on his collarbone. "Way to ruin it."

He laughed loudly at that.

* * *

Ruby knew every person in town. It was a point of pride for her, and she didn't have a lot to be proud of. So she knew that the family who walked into the diner was not from around here.

The man was short with brown hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in jeans and a stripped scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. His lips curled in a devilish smirk at something his wife was saying. His wife was gorgeous, blonde and a few inches shorter than he was. She looked confident and tough in a red leather jacket and boots. She punched her husband on the arm playfully.

The children, a boy and a girl, were adorable as well. The boy was about ten, and had his father's hair and eyes. A big book was tucked up under his arm. His little sister was small, big blonde ringlets spilling out from under a pirate's hat.

Ruby knew she wasn't the only one watching. Storybrooke didn't see a lot of visitors.

They sat at a booth along the wall, the parents on one side, the kids on the other. The boy immediately cracked open the book and both kids leaned over it. Ruby raised an eyebrow at that, but still sauntered over wearing a smile.

"Welcome, I'm Ruby. What can I get you to drink?"

"Coffee," Both parents groaned at the same time. Both kids grinned at them.

"Hot chocolate!" the boy chirped, "with cinnamon on top please." Ruby blinked, but wrote it down with a nod. The girl sat there, her eyes narrowed, obviously contemplating Ruby.

"Anna?" The mother asked, raising an eyebrow. The girl looked up, head tilting. "Drink?"

"Oh, hot chocolate, please, but no cinnamon. That's just gross," She wrinkled her nose. "Who drinks hot chocolate with cinnamon?"

"I do," The woman answered dryly. "As does your brother."

"Well, you guys are weird."

"I know someone else who drinks it that way," Ruby piped up, smiling. "Mary Margaret, a teacher down at the school, like cinnamon on her hot chocolate."

The man and woman traded a look that Ruby couldn't decipher.

"Well, she's probably weird too," the girl shrugged.

"So says the pirate," the man replied and grinned at Ruby. "Ignore her. She's crazy." The girl stuck her tongue out at him, which he returned. Ruby couldn't help but laughing at them.

She returned with their drinks and set them down. She looked at the parents. "So, you guys are new here?"

"Yeah," the woman said. "Guess in this small town, we stand out, huh?"

"A little."

"Fun," The man intoned. "The name's Niall. This is my wife Emma."

"And I'm Henry," the boy said, waving a little. "This is Anna." The girl huffed and glared at Henry. , making her father, Niall, sigh.

"No, I've said this once, I will say it again. I am not introducing you as the Dread Pirate Morgan. It's not happening."

"Anna wants to be a pirate, if you can't tell," Emma said in explanation.

"Somehow, I didn't get that from the hat." Ruby said. She looked at Henry. "Do you want to be a pirate too?" She asked.

"Nope. I want to be a knight." He straightened, his face bright.

Emma turned to her husband. "I blame you for the fact our children want dangerous lives."

He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no, that's your line. My family is known for it's cowardice."

Emma conceded with a tilt of her head. "True."

Ruby couldn't help herself. She laughed. "Forgive me, I can't help but ask. What brings you to Storybrooke?"

"Job," Niall answered. "Speaking of which, do you know where I can find Mr. Gold's pawn shop?"

Ruby felt herself go pale. "You're working at the pawn shop?"

Niall raised an eyebrow. "I am. I'm going to go by the look and tone that I may be taking my life into my own hands?"

"No. It's just, Mr. Gold- he's" Ruby stumbled over the words. "Why are you working there?"

"I restore antiques." Niall explained. "Mr. Gold hired me to restore some of the things in his shop. However, I'm thinking that Mr. Gold's has a reputation?"

"Oh. But, yeah, he does. That's him," Ruby pointed out the window at the limping pawnbroker across the street. All four of the family turned.

Niall flinched back, his hand snapping out to grab his wife's hand. He looked like he had gotten run over by a truck. He stared out the window, eyes wide. Emma grabbed his fingers, dipping her head between him and his view of the man out the window.

"You alright?" Ruby asked, suddenly worried. She wasn't sure what had happened, but it was obvious that Niall somehow knew the older man.

"Fine," He said, shaking his head. He turned to smile at her, though it was tremulous. "He just looked like someone I knew once. He isn't, though. The man I knew was taller. It was the limp, I think." He glanced at his wife. She nodded, but Ruby noticed that they didn't let go of each other's hands.

"Mom, can I have a hamburger?" Henry asked. He was watching his parents, eyes narrowed, but his tone sounded innocent. "Please?"

"Oh! Me too!" Anna looked up at Ruby. "Do you have tater tots?"

"No, I don't" Ruby said, trying to recover from her confusion. "French fries alright?"

Anna looked at her brother. "You want them?" She asked. He scrunched his nose up.

"I'll eat some, sure." He said, nodding.

"Cool, then fries please."

"Okay," Ruby finished taking their order and walked back to the kitchen where she could safely eyeball the family. They were all hunched over their book, whispering among themselves.

She wasn't sure why, but the waitress suddenly got the feeling that this little family was going to the best thing that every happened to Storybrooke.


	2. Introductions (of a sort)

**AN: Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad that everyone is enjoying this. Like I said, I am a review junkie, so if you could, please drop a line. **

**AN: I was informed that some people may not enjoy the fact that I changed Niall's name spelling. I can understand the concerns regarding the fact that it may be hard to difficult to reconcile my character with the original character due to the change. Which is a possibility. I know I have problems sometimes with other stories that have the same problems. However, that is okay. My Niall is different than Neal. My Niall is much darker at times, due to the fact that my Neverland is much darker. Of course, I would love to get your opinions about it all. **

**AN: Here's Chapter 2. Three out of our five main characters are meeting our hero couple this chapter. Hopefully you enjoy it. Have fun!**

* * *

Mr. Gold wasn't sure why he felt the need to hire an antique restorer. He had done fine on his own, but for some reason, he had the desire to get someone new. He also didn't know why he had chosen one Niall Cassidy, but he had to admit that the man was good. So, Gold had made the offer, including the gift of making sure they had a house. He was even willing to give them a one month reprieve on rent.

But the fact that he didn't know the exact reason for doing something was bothering him. So he decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to check on the family.

He limped his way up to the house, smiling to himself. He had chosen the two-story house with the picket fence on a whim. Knowing that the family had spent its time in large cities, he thought that the ideal little house was perfect for them.

He glanced up at the moving van and stopped by the gate of the fence. He turned, about to walk towards the door when a little girl stopped him.

She had to have been about seven or so, and on top of her head was a rather well-worn leather tricorne hat. Gold raised a single eyebrow at her headwear, but said nothing.

"Hi!" The girl chirped. "I'm the Dread Pirate Morgan."

"Ah," Gold noticed a man making his way towards the fence, but kept his attention on the girl. "I'm Mr. Gold."

"Oh! You're Daddy's new boss." She abruptly turned on her heel and screamed up towards the house, "DADDY!" Only after the word left her mouth did she notice the man right behind her. He stumbled back a step, eyes wide.

"Holy cow kid, I'm right here," He said, shaking his head. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Did I just hear you introduce as the Dread Pirate Morgan? Again?"

The little girl tipped her chin up, crossing her arms in a display of childish stubbornness. "Yep."

The man sighed and glanced at Gold. "I swear, it says Anna on her birth certificate."

"Children will be children," Gold said with a smirk. "You must be Mr. Cassidy."

"I am," He stuck his hand out. "Mr. Gold, correct? It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The same. I was just coming by to see how you were settling in."

"Wonderfully. The house was extremely generous, I have to say." Niall glanced back at it. "Our last apartment was a little on the small side."

"Henry and I almost had to share a room." Anna agreed. "It was horrible."

"You, boxes, now," Niall ordered, shooing his daughter off towards the van. "Little monster."

"Pirate!" She hollered over her shoulder, bouncing away.

"Yes, yes," The man sighed, then turned back to Gold. "Would you like to come in? It's a mess, us moving in and all, but I'd like you to meet Henry and Emma."

Something in Gold's mind pinged at the name 'Emma', but he shrugged it off. "I'd love to," He said. It would be a good idea to figure out what he was dealing with anyways.

They made their way up towards the house, Niall speaking over his shoulder. "I have to say thank you again for the house, Mr. Gold. This is beyond generous."

"It's no problem, Mr. Cassidy. I just hope your work is worth it," Niall turned to see a shark's grin on the older man's face. Niall gave a grin of his own.

"Oh, I think it is. Of course, I may be biased."

Gold felt like laughing, which was impressive. It had been a very long time before that had happened. Mostly because very few people ever wanted to actually speak to him.

The front hall was bare, but the living room was covered in boxes and random pieces of furniture. Gold did have to admit to himself that this was one of the finest houses he owned. The floor was hardwood, the walls painted in warm and inviting colors. It had big windows in the living room, allowing light to come pouring in. The kitchen was nice and big, with a breakfast bar and almost new appliances. It even had a study and a den on the bottom floor, with the three bedrooms upstairs. It also had two full bathrooms.

Perhaps the boy was right. He was being absurdly generous.

A pretty blonde woman and a young boy were standing in the kitchen, unloading boxes of plates and bowls. They both looked up as Niall led him into the kitchen.

"Hello handsome," the woman said with a smile.

"Hello gorgeous," Niall answered with a smile of his own.

"Oh, Niall, you're here too," The woman's smile turned into a smirk. The boy snickered from behind a box. Gold's eyes widened, amused. Very few people joked around him, and very few ever complemented him.

"Haha, Emma," Niall said with a roll of his eyes. "Why did I marry you again?"

"Cause I'm awesome. And I put up with you." Emma replied, before walking around the counter to Gold. She stuck her hand out. "Hi, my name's Emma."

He went to shake her hand, but as he touched her skin, it all washed over him. Who he was, who Emma was, the curse, _everything_. His eyes widened. "Emma, what a pretty name," He murmured, mind racing, holding her hand for a moment.

Emma blinked. "Thanks." She pulled her hand back and traded a look with her husband, who was also looking at Gold oddly. Rumplestiltskin on the forefront of his mind, he tightened his grip on his cane to clear his mind. Now was not the best time.

"That is Henry," Emma continued pointing to the boy still behind the island. The imp in his head giggled darkly at the irony of names, but Gold just nodded to the boy.

"Hi," Henry said smiling.

"Hello, Henry." Gold tilted his head.

"Emma, this is Mr. Gold, my new boss." Niall said.

"Oh, thank you so much for the house," Emma glanced up. "It's amazing."

"You're welcome, dearie. I'm pleased that you enjoy it." It was necessary for the Savior to want to stay after all. He now realized exactly why he had hired Mr. Cassidy.

What luck Emma's husband was an antique restorer.

* * *

"So, that was interesting." Emma commented quietly. Niall glanced up from where he was throwing a blanket over the mattress currently on the floor. They hadn't set up the bed frame yet, so they were making due.

"Yeah, it was."

"What do you think happened? I mean, it felt like we were talking to a completely different person after he shook my hand." Emma walked over to drop onto the mattress. She laid down, sprawling over the blanket.

"If I had to bet, I would say you broke his curse," Niall said, watching her with a smile. She was in one of his t-shirts and a pair of boy shorts and looked completely relaxed.

"You say he remembers?" Emma asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Probably," Niall shrugged. "My father doesn't do anything without a loophole. This curse is no doubt his design, so yeah, I bet meeting you was the trigger to snap him out of his curse."

"Huh." Emma dropped her head back. Niall lowered himself onto the bed next to her, hand splayed across her stomach. She hummed in her throat, making him chuckle.

He leaned up to lay a kiss on her neck when they heard the distant ring of the clock tower. Emma blinked. "Isn't time supposed to be frozen here?"

"Cursebreaker," Niall muttered, nibbling at her collarbone. "Your presence is making time go forwards again. Now shush. I'm concentrating."

"Excuse me. By all means, keep concentrating." She wiggled a little, arching her back slightly.

Niall pressed his lips against hers, grinning. Footsteps sounded on the hardwood of the floor, and both of them sighed. "New place?" Niall offered as a reason for their children's arrival, rolling away from her.

"Probably." Emma muttered, sitting up. They both turned to the opening door. Anna and Henry both leaned in the room.

"Mama?" Anna asked quietly. "Papa?"

"Come on in, kiddos," Emma said, waving her arm to welcome them in. "What's wrong?"

They both came running in, jumping onto the bed and making Emma bounce. She laughed as Henry plopped his book into her lap. Niall grinned and propped himself up on an elbow.

"Is it true?" Henry murmured.

"What, kid?" Niall questioned.

"The curse?" Anna reached over and flipped a few pages to show the end of the book. Both Emma and Niall looked down to see the picture of the clock tower. They traded looks, eyes wide.

"Uh, why would you think that?" Niall hedged.

"Dad, we're kids, not stupid." Henry rolled his eyes. "Besides, we've read this book a thousand times. You've read it to us a thousand times. We notice stuff."

"Like how the waitress looked exactly like Red Riding Hood." Anna added.

"Or how when we were in town, the clock said 8:15, but we just heard it ringing." Henry continued.

"So is it true?" Anna flipped another page to show the picture of Snow White holding her daughter. The word Emma stitched onto the blanket stared up at them. "Are you Snow White's daughter?"

"Yes," Emma whispered. She hated this particular page. It always showed her the exact thing she had always wanted in life, but the one thing she couldn't have. "As far as I know, yes," She traced her name in the book.

"So, what do we do?" Henry sighed at his parent's confused faces. "Oh, come on. This is an adventure! We want in. Besides, you need our help."

"How do you figure, munchkin?" Niall reached over to poke his son.

"We're kids. We can ask crazy questions about curses and magic, and no one will look sideways about it. Especially since they will be too busy staring at Anna's hat."

"Hey!" Anna shoved her brother. "There is nothing wrong with my hat."

"No, there is nothing wrong with it. The whole thing is wrong." Henry retorted.

"Kids, enough," Emma wrapped her arms around both of them, covering their mouths with her hand. "You may have a point about the questions, but you need to understand. This could get dangerous."

"Magic is always dangerous. And you guys will be in danger just for being ours." Niall added. "We will do everything in our power to keep you safe. But you have to try to keep your heads down."

"Yes sir," both of the kids said, nodding.

"Good." Emma pulled them both closer. "So, which story am I reading tonight?"

"Wait! I have more questions." Henry looked up at her. "Since Snow White is your mother, does that mean you're a princess?"

"Yes," Emma muttered, shifting slightly. She didn't like to think of herself as an actual princess. Niall grinned at her discomfort.

"So that means that I'm a prince?" He asked.

"Yes."

"So I can be a knight? It's actually possible?"

Emma groaned. Niall sighed. "Yes, Henry, you could be a knight. But you would have to earn that honor. And that won't happen until you are much older. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

"This means I can't be a pirate, huh?" Anna asked, her voice low. "I have to be a princess."

"Why do you want to be a pirate?" Niall questioned. "It's not a great life. I've met pirates, they aren't as cool as you think they are."

"You met an actual pirate?" Anna's eyes were wide.

"Yes. It's not something I like to talk about, but I've even sailed a pirate ship." Niall admitted. He watched as his children stared at him as if he said he had grown a third head. "What? I had a misspent childhood."

"You just got a million times cooler, Daddy," Anna said with a nod.

"If only that lasts through your teenage years," Niall replied dryly. Emma laughed.

"Seriously, though. What story do you want me to read?" She flipped through the book.

"Beauty and the Beast!" Anna shouted, bouncing a little.

"No, when Prince Charming fought the dragon!" Henry shot back.

"Executive decision," Niall interrupted the ensuing fight. "How about you read Cinderella? It's got Rumplestiltskin and your parents in it, so it should appease the masses."

Emma nodded, ignoring how her kids both made faces at their father. "Once upon a time," She began.

* * *

Regina glared at the moving van. This new family, so cute and cuddly. A handsome husband, a pretty wife, two adorable children, it all made her sick to her stomach.

"They're cute," Belle stepped up to the window, sipping her morning tea. "It's been forever since we've gotten new neighbors."

"He did this on purpose." Regina snarled, pointing at the window. "He chose the house across the street on purpose. He's taunting me."

"Gina, that would require memories. My love doesn't remember, remember?"

"It's Rumplestiltskin, he's doing this on purpose!" Regina resisted the urge to stamp her foot in frustration. "There is something wrong with this family. Didn't you hear last night?"

"I heard you breaking a glass." Belle answered. "What else was I supposed to hear?"

Regina flinched, suddenly realizing what she had said. "Nothing," She muttered.

"Liar," Belle accused, tilting her head. "What was it, Gina? What did you hear?"

"It was nothing."

"Fine, don't tell me. But I will find out. And when I do, you know there is going to be hell to pay. So you might as well tell me now."

"Fine. The clock tower rang last night."

"The clock tower did what?" Belle's jaw dropped, her eyes wide. She stared at Regina in shock. "Does that mean-?"

"Yes, the curse is weakening." Regina sighed. "No doubt you'll be planning to run off to help Snow White now, hmm?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Belle shook her head, placing her tea-cup down on the end table. "I'm not on Snow's side and you know it. I spend too much time with the dark side of power. They won't welcome me with open arms."

"You believe that? All you have to do is show them that chain on your ankle and they'll let you in. After all, I am holding you against your will."

"Not really, not anymore. And besides, even if I pulled that one, what happens when they find out about my love? Even being his friend is enough to get me tossed out of the Disney princess club."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, the Disney princess club?"

Belle shrugged, grinning. "What? It seems to fit them. Perhaps they aren't all sunshine and happiness like the movies, but they are still judgmental when it comes to what is considered good and evil. I don't have the patience to deal with it. I learned a long time ago that the world is not black and white. It's layered in gray, and you just have to figure out which shade you are."

"Poetic."

"Thank you. So, this all begs the question, what are you going to do about the curse breaking?"

"What do you think? I'm going to stop it."

Belle sighed. "Any ideas on that one? Because I have to say, you probably don't even know how they are breaking the curse in the first place."

"No, you're right, I don't." Regina turned, eyes narrowing on the family. "However, I'm sure I can figure something out."

"Well, my advice is to meet them first." Belle stepped back, picking up her cup and making her way back to the kitchen. "First rule of war, know your enemy. Figure out what you're dealing with. I'm headed to the store, do you need anything?"

The mayor shook her head.

"Alright, but Gina, don't do anything drastic. Maybe this is for the best. Maybe the curse breaking is a good thing." Belle grabbed her keys and made her way to the door. "Look on the bright side.

Regina watched her go, then turned back to the family across the street. She bit her lip, trying not to let the overwhelming sense of fear wash over her. There was no bright side to the curse breaking. If it broke, it would mean the fall of her kingdom and he execution. It would also mean the Belle's execution as well, if they ever found out that she had knowledge of the curse at any point. Rumplestiltskin would be behind bars if they could catch him, even if he was willing to help Belle. She knew that he thought that Belle was in her back pocket when the girl tried to break his curse. No doubt if he remembered, then the last twenty-eight years would only cement that theory.

Probably didn't help that she had bragged about that exact thing at one point in time.

That wasn't important however. What was important was the fact that she wasn't going to let some little family ruin her little kingdom.

A plan built in her mind. Perhaps it was time to know her enemies.

* * *

Belle walked into the house and stopped, eyes widening. It wasn't very often that she got to smell the scent of freshly baked apple pie. It usually meant that Regina was up to something.

"Oh dear," She murmured, stepping into the kitchen to place the bags in her arms on the table. "What are you up to?"

"What?" Regina asked, face innocent. "I can't fix something up to welcome our new neighbors to the street?"

Belle blinked and pointedly looked at the cooling apple pie. "Is someone going to need to be kissed after they take a bite of that?"

"Haha, I love how much faith you have in me." Regina muttered wryly. "No, it's just a pie."

"Huh." Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Well, when are we going over there?"

"Right now. I was waiting for you to get back."

"afraid to go over alone?" Belle asked, mockingly.

"No, I'm afraid of nothing." Regina snapped. "However, you are annoyingly good at getting a read on people, and beyond that, I believe I would like to supervise this meeting."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a bleeding heart," Regina said, picking up the pie and stalking towards the door. "I'd rather you didn't find some reason to adore these people."

"Ah, I'm insulted." Belle followed, smirking. "You make it sound like I feel sorry for everyone." Regina shot her a look, to which she tilted her head in contemplation. "Okay, you may be right."

They walked across the street together, the scent of apples trailing behind them. They paused for a moment at the open door and traded looks quickly.

"Knock, knock," Regina called. A moment later, a woman appeared from around the corner. She paused slightly, taking in Regina in her power suit and Belle in her skinny jeans and heels, but stepped forward, smiling.

"Hello, my name's Emily," She said, holding her hand out.

"Hello, I'm Regina Mills. I'm the mayor of this town. Here, a gift for you, to welcome you to the town." She offered her the pie. Emily took it, blinking at it.

"Apple?" She asked, though Belle picked up a hint of trepidation in her eyes.

"Yes. I picked them from my tree." Regina explained airily. She smiled, a wicked smile. "I do hope you and your family enjoy it."

Emily's eyes narrowed slightly. Belle raised an eyebrow. That wasn't really what she had expected from the woman. It was almost as if she knew who Regina was.

Which was ridiculous. No one knew about the curse.

"Thank you." Emily said quietly. "This is kind of you. Would you like to come in?"

"Sure," Belle stepped in, her lips curling in a smile. "I'm Lacey."

"It's nice to meet both of you." Emily led them into the kitchen and set the pie on the counter. "So I'm guessing you live nearby?"

"Oh, across the street," Belle said, nodding towards the house. "We saw you moving in and figured you'd like a welcome."

"Thanks." Emily looked up as a man sauntered into the kitchen. He blinked at the visitors, almost in surprise, and shot Emily a look. She shrugged, holding up the pie. "They made us pie."

"Nice," The man sounded apprehensive though. "Apple?"

"Yep."

"Awesome," His smile was fake, his eyes wide.

Belle blinked. These people had to know who Regina was. That was the only reason for them to look frightened of a pie. The only reason they would be mention about it being apple.

"Honey, this is Regina, the mayor of the town. And this is Lacey." Emily waved an arm to them. "Ladies, this is my husband Niall."

"Hello, Niall." Belle smiled. She stared at him, something tickling in the back of her mind. There was something about his eyes and the way he smiled at his wife. It felt familiar in some way.

"Lacey," Niall nodded, coming up to stand beside his wife. "So, just coming to welcome us in town?"

"Of course. We are your neighbors after all." Regina gave him her evil smile. Something hardened in his eyes at the sight of it, causing another flag to go up in Belle's mind. Something was off here.

"They live across the street." Emily provided.

"Ah," Niall said. "I'm glad that we have such welcoming neighbors."

"Of course. If you need anything, you can always ask." Belle offered.

"Thank you. I do have a question," Emily questioned, causing her husband to glance over. "Do you know anyone hiring?"

"Oh, you need a job?" Regina asked, eyebrows raising. "I thought that was why you came to Storybrooke in the first place."

"Rumors," Belle explained hastily. "Danger of a small town."

"No problem. You're right though, I got a job," Niall stated, leaning forward onto the counter. "Em needs a job, though. I'm terrified of having her stay home with the kids." Emily punched his arm and he yelped. "Hey! It's true!"

"Anything you can do, I can do better." Emily snapped back. She turned to the women. "But with the munchkins in school, I will probably need something to do. I get bored easily."

"I do too," Belle said with a smile. "However, I don't know of anyone hiring. I'll keep an ear out for you if you'd like."

"Thanks." Emily grinned at her.

"Just a question, but who did you get a job with? I didn't realize there were any open in town before." Regina said. Belle thought about kicking her, but couldn't do so without making it look like an accident.

"Mr. Gold hired me," Niall said smoothly. He smirked. "I restore antiques and he said he needed an extra hand in his shop."

Belle licked her lips, but studiously ignored the outright glare that Regina was shooting her. She never had any doubts that her love's sticky little fingers were in this mess.

She just wasn't ever going to admit it out loud.

Especially not to Regina.


	3. A Pirate's Life for Me?

**AN: I was sitting here, writing Doctor Who fanfiction and suddenly remembered that I had this written and everything on my computer. Figured I'd updated. **

**New updates will be sporadic at best, but I'll do what I can. I have a friend who loved OUAT, so that'll probably inspire me to write. **

**Enjoy and as always, please drop a constructive review! (oh, and points to who can guess who Anna's teacher is!)**

* * *

Emma hated first days of school. She never mentioned it to Niall, but she had a feeling he knew. She also had a feeling that he felt the same way, but they never spoke about it. They just held their kid's hands, shoved their paranoia back down, and smiled.

It was extremely hard.

So Emma walked Anna down to her class, trying her best not to clutch at her daughter's hand. Henry trailed behind. He had an idea where his class was at and knew he could go at any time, but he knew her issues and was willing to let her walk him down. Which she was pretty sure was the sweetest thing her kid had ever done.

She always wondered where he got that attitude. It certainly wasn't from her.

Anna was pouting. The elementary school had a strict no hats policy, so her tricone had to stay at home. She wasn't happy about it all.

"Anna, please try to behave." Emma said quietly, eyes narrowed at her daughter. She knew the mischief the brat was capable of. "No mutinys, no burying hidden treasure, no back talk, no calling anyone a scurvy ridden bilgerat. I'm serious."

"Mama, you're taking away all my fun!" Anna whined, dragging on Emma's arm a little. "Can't I stage just a little mutiny?"

"No," Emma answered sharply. She pulled her arm a little, making Anna straighten up. "No mutinys at all. If I hear anything from Ms. Caecilian about you staging some pirate shenaigans, I'm going to hang you upside down in the basement."

"We have a basement now too," Henry piped up. "It's not a completely empty threat."

Anna stuck her tongue out at him, before turning back to her mother. "Fine, Mama, I'll be good. Today."

"One week," Emma counter-offered.

"Next week I can stage a mutiny?" Now the brat looked hopeful. Emma fought back a smile.

"If you believe that your teacher deserves one, of course." Emma hoped that this first grade teacher wasn't horrible. She really didn't want to be called up here because her kid incited the other children to tie the teacher to a chair.

It had happened before. Anna had been suspended for a week, the first kindergaterner to have ever been suspended that long in the Leon county school system. Niall had laughed himself sick after the kids had gone to bed.

"Deal!" Anna was considerably brighter as they walked to the door. Emma hoped she wasn't signing the poor teacher's resignation form. Or, worse, her death sentence, she thought wryly as she opened the door.

"Oh, this must be Anna," The teacher was pretty, with dark chocolaty skin and light caramel eyes. Her black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. She smiled brightly at Anna, who blinked at her. She wore a yellow dress that went past her knees and sensible brown shoes. "I'm Ms. Caecilian." She stuck her hand out to shake Anna's hand.

"See-sil?" Anna stumbled over the name for a second, shaking her new teacher's hand. Emma smiled at her.

"See-sil-e-uh," Ms. Caecilian repeated brightly. "I know it's hard to say. You should see how it's spelled. Now, if you would like to, how about you stick your backpack in a cubby over there, and then you can sit down next to Avery. Avery, raise your hand please." A young tow-headed boy raised his hand slowly. "I'm just going to talk to your mama for a second." Anna nodded, making her way to the cubbys, sliding her Pirates of the Carribean backpack off her shoulder.

"I'm Emma Cassidy," Ms. Caecilian shook Emma's offered hand.

"Amirah Caecilian," The teacher replied politely. "The office mentioned that you-"

"Yeah. I just wanted to warn you that Anna is currently going through a pirate phase. A while ago, she decided she wanted to be a pirate and she hasn't stopped yet. She should be good this week, we made a deal, but I have a feeling that next week may be a bit more," Emma stuggled to find the right word. "Interesting."

Ms. Caesilian smilied. "A pirate, hmm? Sounds like fun. I once had a student who thought he was invisible. That was an interesting week. I'm sure Anna will do just fine."

"I hope so. But there will be times when she will only answer to Morgan," Emma shook her head. "Don't ask me why, but that's her pirate name. I just thought I should warn you."

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Cassidy. Don't worry though, Anna will fit right in, I'm sure."

"Doubt that," Emma heard Henry mutter. She tried not to shoot him a look.

"You're welcome. Have fun," Emma said as she stepped towards the exit. She waved at Anna, who waved back brightly, and let the door close behind her. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on Henry's backpack. "Come on, kiddo, one more stop."

"Why do you and Dad hate this so much?" Henry asked, tilting his head to look up at her. Emma paused slightly.

"Because we love you two a lot. The stuff that we had to go through in our lives makes it hard for us to let you be watched by other people. New people at least. It's difficult."

"Because you're afraid someone will take us?"

"Kind of." Emma sighed. "We both have abandonment issues and trust issues. We try not to let it affect your lives, but sometimes, that's hard. So, we keep it limited to things like first days of school, and new babysitters, and stuff like that."

Emma could remember the last person they'd hired to babysit. She had never mentioned it to the kids, or to the poor girl, but she and Niall had run a full background check on her. They couldn't do that for the people here and they tried not to do that for teachers, but it did make them feel better.

"Thanks Mom," He said, reaching up to grab her hand. She blinked at him.

"For what?"

"For caring about us that much," Henry answered smiling.

"Well, keep being grateful now. The days going to come when you're screaming at us about smothering, I know it." Emma muttered, but just gripped her son's hand.

"Nah, that'll be Anna. 'Let me go on the pirate ship, stop smothering me!'" Henry did a horrible imitation of his sister, making Emma snort.

"Yeah, probably. Alright kid, here's your class." She opened the door, dropping his hand to give him at least the possibilty of being a big kid. "Mind if I meet the teacher?"

"Nope," Henry answered.

"Thanks, kid." She watched the woman smile up at them.

"Hello," She said. She was small and pretty, with her dark hair in a cute little pixie cut. Her green eyes were bright and kind. She was dressed in a cute dress with a sweater over it. "Are you Henry?" She asked.

Henry smiled. "Yes, ma'am. This is my mom. Her name is Emma." Emma swallowed her grin. She loved her son so much in that moment.

"Hello Emma. I'm Ms. Blanchard." The teacher stuck her hand out. "Or Mary Margaret"

"It's nice to meet you," Emma said, tilting her head. The woman seemed familiar, and she was going through her list of people in the book to try and figure out who she was. She didn't realize that the woman was doing the same thing.

"I'm sorry, I must seem rude, but have we met before?"

Emma blinked. "I don't believe so," She answered honestly.

"I didn't think so, but it feels like I know you or something. How silly of me." Mary Margaret shook her head. "I'm probably freaking you out or something."

"No, it's fine," Emma said quickly. "I was having the same feeling, so I understand."

"Oh," She was about to say something else, but a student called for her attention. She answered then glanced back at Emma. "I should go. We're making birdhouses today."

It was then that all the puzzle pieces clicked into place. Emma's eyes widened and she almost choked.

Mary Margaret kept talking. "i would like to speak to you again. Perhaps I'll see you around? Are you okay? You suddenly went very pale."

"No, I'm fine," Emma forced out. "But it's a small town, so I'm sure we'll talk again. I'll let you get back to your class."

She waved to Henry, who was watching her, concerned. He waved back, but she could tell that he would be asking her about it later. But for now, she turned and ran, hand pressed against her mouth.

She had just met her mother.

* * *

Niall had to say that working with his father was surreal. It was even more surreal considering he was pretty sure that his father remembered the Enchanted Forest and everything. It was defintely the most surreal thing he had ever expierenced, and he had gotten lost in the Echo Cave for two years once.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.

He was in the back room working on restoring an trunk, buffing the top with some wax, when he heard the front door open. He didn't pay much attention to it, too engrossed in making sure that he covered the top of the trunk evenly. He didn't even look up when the curtain moved a little

"Hey."

He blinked and looked up, taking in Emma's red eyes. He immediately put the rag aside and stood. He poked the head around the corner into the shop. "I'm taking a break. I'll be back."

Gold blinked at him, but glanced back at Emma who looked a little shaky. He nodded. "That's fine."

"Thanks," Niall said, and grabbed Emma's arm, dragging her out the back door into the alley. "What happened?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"I met my mom," Emma choked out, obviously trying not to cry. She buried her face in his shoulder. "She's Henry's teacher."

"Seriously?" Niall asked. "Wow, this family just got more screwed up."

"Shut up." Emma snapped. "I'm having a crisis here."

"Why?" Niall pushed her back slightly, making her look him in the face. "What's wrong?"

"She didn't recognize me," Emma whispered. Niall raised an eyebrow at her. "She looked at me, but she didn't realize who I was."

"Emma, think about it. Even if she had her memories, do you think she would really recognize you. I mean, if I saw Henry for a minute when he was born, then never saw him for twenty-eight years, do you think I would recognize him?" Niall kissed her head, trying not to smile. "I think you've got some unreasonable expectations here."

"So?" Emma muttered. "I never had parents. I'm allowed unreasonable expectations."

"Woman, be glad I love you," Niall sighed, pulling her back. "You are way too high maitenence for me."

"You're annoying."

"You're ridiculous." Niall shot back. "But, seriously, are you okay?"

Emma nuzzled into his collarbone. "No." she took a deep breath. "Maybe." Her fingers curled into his shirt. "Working on it."

He chuckled and pressed his lips to her cheek near her ear. "Glad to hear it." He tucked his nose in her hair. "I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for putting up with me."

"Any time, babe. You know I'm here for you."

She leaned back to look up at him. "I'm sorry. It was just weird to see her, and know who she was, but she didn't know. She was nice, but I don't know. I felt like a little kid. I wanted a mom right there. Which was stupid of me."

"Not stupid. Love and emotion is never stupid, just illogical. You expected something that was impossible, but that's okay." Niall shrugged. "It's part of being a kid."

"I'm twenty-eight. I don't think I count as a kid anymore."

"Emma, a son or daughter is always a kid when it comes to their parents." His face darkned slightly, but he dipped his head to whisper in her ear. "I'm almost three hundred years old and still feel like a kid in front of my dad."

She choked out a laugh. "Point. Speaking of which, how has your day been going?"

"Wierd." He answered honestly. "Just really wierd."

She leaned back, and he let her go. "I'm a horrible wife," She said. "I come running over here, freaking out, and you're having problems of your own."

"Bah," He shrugged. "I live. It's not like I've never met my issues."

"You're amazing. How did I ever find you?"

"Luck and magic," Niall answered with a grin. "Lots of luck."

Emma lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. He held her cheeks, holding her close. "I think I'm better now," She murmured against his lips.

"Hmm," He hummed. "Doubt it."

She leaned back and smacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up."

"Hey! What happened to my kiss?" He yelped.

"You had to go and start being a jerk." She explained. "Jerk."

"Fine, I see how it is." He sighed. "So what's your plan for the rest of the day?"

"I think I should probably go look around for a job. See if maybe someone needs me for something." She shook her head. "Being alone in the house will drive me mad within a few days."

"You could always unpack a little more." The funiture was up and set, but boxes littered the house. Niall didn't even realize they had that much stuff until they had tried to pack up and move. It was ridiculous, especially considering that two of them had lived in a car for a couple of years.

"If I unpack anymore, I'm going to scream." Emma retorted. "It's like a never ending battle against boxes. I refuse to do it alone."

"Wimp."

"Fine, but when you get home and see me sprawled out on the floor because the box full of books attacked me from behind, you'll be eating those words," She said, lips curled in a smile. He laughed at her.

"Oh, woe is Emma, for she is dead. A great big book fell on her head." He rhymed, opening the back door for her. "Alas her husband, Niall, did cry. For he did not get to say goodbye."

"You know, you're suprisingly good at that."

"Pirate shanties." Niall explained with a grin. "Sometimes you've got to make it up as you go along. Mostly because you're so drunk, you forgot the original words."

"Ah, right, mispent childhood." Emma rolled her eyes. "Give me another kiss and get back to work. I'm sure your boss isn't pleased with the fact that I stole you away."

"He'll get over it." Niall said, kissing her. "Family comes first."

She smiled and made her way back to the front part of the shop. "Sorry for borrowing him, Mr. Gold."

"It's no problem," Gold said, waving a hand. "I presume everything is alright?"

"Better, now." Emma nodded. "I'm just not used to being the one at home. Normally, I'm trying to hunt somebody down. He's the one dealing with mutinies and such."

"She only pulled one mutiny." Niall muttered, leaning on the doorframe. "And it wasn't even that bad."

Emma raised an eyebrow at him. He stared her down, then snickered, "You're right, it was that bad."

"That sounds like an interesting story." Gold said with a raised eyebrow.

"She holds the record for longest suspension for a child under the age of twelve in the greater Tallahasse area." Niall explained, oddly proud.

"You would be proud of that wouldn't you?"

"You gotta pick your battles. We have Henry as our good child. He makes good grades, doesn't get in trouble at school and does his chores. Anna is the child we're wondering if we'll ever have to bail out of jail. I don't want her growing up with an inferiority complex." He shrugged.

Both Emma and Gold stared at him incredulously. "Seriously, out of all the arguments in the world, that's the one you're going with?" Emma asked.

Niall blinked. "Sure, why not?"

Ema shook her head in disbelief. "You're an idiot. And on that note, I'm heading out. Have a nice day, Mr. Gold."

"You as well, Emma," Gold returned as Emma left. He turned to Niall. "Your daughter was suspended for a mutiny?"

"No, my daughter was suspended for tying a teacher to a chair, breaking into the office, and singing 'A Pirates Life for Me' over the intercom," Niall explained with a grin. "We just call it a mutiny for short."

* * *

As a rule, Belle did not go to the pawn shop. She was finacially secure, so she didn't need to sell anything. She also didn't want to buy anything either. So many of the items she had heard about that were in the shop were pieces of people's lives.

She knew. She had dusted them enough.

She also didn't go in, because even in this land without magic, her slave chain still worked. It was spotty at best, but the stupid thing of course made it impossible to speak to Mr. Gold. There were very few times she had ever had to try to speak to him, and she ended up just standing there, looking like a fish.

It was downright embarrassing.

However, desperate times and desperate measures. So, she steeled herself, muttered her motto about bravery under her breath, and stepped into the shop.

It was dark and covered in stuff, reminding her so much of home, of the Dark Castle, that she almost burst into tears. She recognized the puppets that had scared her so badly that she had told her love that he had to dust them himself. She gulped, took a deep breath and straightened, heading towards the counter.

Niether men were there, which made her a little nervous. The bell over the door had rang when she walked in, but niether Gold or Niall had come out. She licked her lips and called out, "Niall?"

The curtain that had to lead to the back room moved suddenly, making her jump. She mentally scoldered herself for her foolishness, trying to calm down. Niall rasied his eyebrows at her, but smiled.

"Lacey, right?" he asked, stepping towards the counter. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh, no, I'm not here to buy anything. I was wanted to talk to you without Regina. I know she can be a little much." She sighed.

"It wasn't too bad. She seemed a bit nosy, but hey, who isn't?" Niall shrugged.

"Still. I also couldn't help but notice that you and your wife didn't seem to be thrilled by the pie?" Belle ventured, watching him closely. "Not a fan of apple?"

She saw it in his eyes, the flash of apprehension and perhaps a little fear. He blinked it away and grinned, but she had caught it and she knew.

Niall knew about the curse.

"Nah," He said. "Now, pumpkin, pumpkin is my favorite."

"I'll keep that in mind," She replied. "I don't want to welcome you with a gift that you don't like."

"That's really kind of you, but you don't have to go out of your way."

"No, it's no trouble." She smiled brightly. "We never get any new people in Storybrooke, so the fact that you guys are my neighbors is amazing. Besides, I like baking. It's cooking where I get in trouble."

"Is that so, Ms. French?" She felt her heart stop. She glanced back to stare at his brown eyes, which were narrowed at her. She gulped and opened her mouth to try and say something.

Nothing came out.

She licked her lips and looked down, trying to regain her composure. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to keep the tears from sliding down her face. She glanced up at Gold, then flinched back and smiled sadly at Niall.

"I think I'm going to go. I'll see you later, Niall," She slipped out the door without a second look behind her. She couldn't look at Gold anymore.

She made her way down the street, trying her best to keep herself from breaking down. She couldn't fall apart in public.

She could feel the chain encircling her ankle. It felt tight and heavy, as if it were a large slave chain holding her down. She had never felt more like a prisoner than that exact moment.

To her, it didn't matter if the curse broke or not. She hoped it did, so she could help Regina find her happiness, but it really didn't long as that chain stayed on her ankle, she was cursed. Even if it came off, she had a feeling she was still going to be alone. Her love didn't trust easily, and she knew he thought her to be a traitor.

That was the reason she was trying to save Regina. She knew it deep down. It was only right that at least one of them should be happy. It was just never going to be Belle.

She was cursed the moment she dropped that tea cup.


End file.
